New builds and handovers
Concrete and grout in drains in Perth, for new-home owners and builders. We camera the pipe first to see whether it is soft builder's sand or set grout. Then we tell you the options for your pipe, case by case.
We see what is in the pipe before we quote.
The options depend on what the camera shows.
To come out and quote your job.
Tilers, renderers and plasterers wash their tools in the nearest drain, and in a new home that is often a shower waste. What went down the pipe decides what we can do about it.
Soft
Sand and grit settle in the waste and the pipe. They are loose, so they can be pushed or washed through. In the Carine job below, an air snake pushed it through and the shower cleared.
Hard
Grout and concrete slurry set in the pipe the same way they set on the floor. Once it has gone hard, water alone will not wash it out, and an acid-based concrete remover rarely dissolves enough of it. Acid in the line also rules out compressed air, which limits what we can use.
July 2026. A new build in Carine with both showers blocked. The job sheet said "likely rubble". Read the full story: grout blocking a new-build shower in Carine.
The call
The second shower was easy. Builder's sand and grit had settled in the waste, and an air snake pushed it through. The ensuite shower did not budge. Our tech's first thought was grout, and the camera proved it. About 62 centimetres down the pipe sat a pale lump of set concrete and grout, filling most of the bore, with water pooled behind it.
The fix
An acid-based concrete remover had been poured down the ensuite waste before we came back. Michael's call was no compressed air on a line with acid in it. The safe way is to poke the blockage lightly with a hand tool and vacuum the waste out. On the return visit the debris still would not clear. The only real fix was to get to it, so we recommended cutting out the short section of pipe under the ensuite shower, removing the obstruction and reinstating the line. It is more work than anyone wants in a new bathroom. It is also a known, one-off drain repair, not a blockage that keeps coming back.
Read the Carine job storyDiagnosis first. The treatment depends on what the camera shows.
We test the drains, then put a CCTV camera down the blocked one to see what is in the pipe.
Builder's sand and grit, or set grout. The footage shows which, and you see it too.
Loose sand can be cleared with the right tool. Set grout may need the pipe cut out under the fixture. We give you the options and the price before we start.
Why Plumbed Right
A new home can block for different reasons than an old one. In a home just handed over, we expect building debris, and the camera confirms what it really is.
A slow shower or basin in a new home is worth checking early. Sand clears easily. Grout and concrete get harder to deal with every week they sit.
Acid rarely dissolves set grout in a pipe. It makes the next person's job slower and more dangerous.
If the cause is building debris, the footage shows it. That helps if you need to raise it with your builder.
We camera the line before we quote and show you what is in it. See CCTV drain camera inspections.
From the people we fixed it for
From our Google reviews.
Read all reviews on GoogleMichael gave us an honest report on our problem and the cost to repair, which we found very reasonable.
Free on-site quote
Plumbed Right provides a free on-site quote before any work starts, so you know the exact price before we touch a tool. No call-out fee, no obligation to book.
Questions
Still unsure? Call and talk to our team, not a call centre.
It depends on what the camera shows. Loose builder's sand and grit can often be cleared with the right tool. Set grout and concrete are harder, and sometimes the only real fix is to cut out the section of pipe and remove it, as we recommended in the Carine job. We camera the pipe first, then tell you the options and the price before we start. We don't promise a result before we've seen it.
Grout and concrete slurry set in the pipe the same way they set on the floor. Once it has gone hard, water alone will not wash it out. An acid-based concrete remover rarely dissolves enough of it, so the lump stays where it is.
We'd say no. Acid rarely dissolves set grout in a pipe, and it makes the next person's job slower and more dangerous. You can't put compressed air down a line that has acid sitting in it, so it limits the tools we can use.
A camera tells you. We test the drains, then put a CCTV camera down the blocked one and show you what is in the pipe. See CCTV drain camera inspections.
Ask us for the camera footage. If the cause is building debris, the footage shows it, which helps if you need to raise it with your builder. We can't tell you who is responsible. The footage just shows what is in the pipe.
A blocked drain on a build site is the same job as any other. We camera it, show you what is in the pipe and quote before we start. Call 0499 281 430 and tell us where it is.
There is no call-out fee to come out and quote your job. We give you the price after the camera and before we start. If the fix is cutting out a section of pipe, that is a drain repair and is quoted separately.
Perth drain specialists
A slow drain in a new home gets harder to fix the longer it sits. Call 0499 281 430 or request a quote, and we will camera it and show you what is in the pipe.
